Getting ready for more routes and rides by way of fixing the flat rear tyre. Front and back of my bike run at 2 - 4 bar I pump them to 2 which is plenty solid enough and hard enough to achieve with the small HP hand pump I carry on the bike for running repairs, I use a foot pump for maintenance at home. A bit strange that the tyre was completely flat, it's usual for the tubes to lose a bit a go soft but this one was proper flat so I elected to take the tube out and have a look. Quick release on my wheels so no great shakes after tipping the bike up indexing the gears into the centre of the cassette and releasing the back break.

I took the tube out and pumped it up, fully expecting to find a puncture or something wrong with it but it was not so. I shoved quite bit of pressure in and ran it through the sink but there was nothing! I always have a spare so I decided to swap the tube anyway and keep the one taken out as a "get me home". I carry a repair kit as well as a tube so there is no panic to replace instantly, I will pick one up in due course. Bike is ready now for when the spirit moves me. Jack's kitchen to finish and exams looming so not much chance in the short term but it's ready if I want to nip out in the evenings.

That would be more likely if it was a Presta valve which seals on pressure. ATB and Hybrid bikes have Schrader which have a mechanical spring valve, it's quite uncommon to have one completely flat without something amiss with the tube. You can get grit in but that risk is minimised with the dust caps which are always present. You also get pressure drop through leaching through the rubber itself but as a comparison the front tyre had only lost 20% over winter, Sally's bike is the same both down by about 20%

If the Manchester graphene inventor, Andre Geim, gets his way you may soon have tyres that last 3 times as long for your car and bicycle. He's shown that graphene is an excellent heat conductor and a few percent added to tyre rubber speeds up heat loss, cools the tyre and extends the tyre's life.

Had to get the bike maintenance stand out yesterday. I noticed last ride out that the indexing had gone awry on some combinations of front and back cassettes. Usually when shifting down which is when it needs to be smooth if you are shifting to climb a hill. I think it was a bit of stretch in the rear dérailleur cable. Anyway I did the whole lot on the rear Shimano set, lower limit, cable tension, indexing across the range and high limit. Front cassette dérailleur didn't need any adjustment.

I have also noticed a problem that I have with my right ankle. I know from the physiotherapist that I have a slight weakness and that ankle tends to turn slightly outwards when walking any distance, it also happens when cycling. The effect on the bike though is that my heel tends to turn inwards on the pedal. As it's my right foot I find that it can foul with the crank and lower cassette. I'm going to try swapping my pedals out for the ones I used on the coast to coast with the toe clips and see if this encourages my foot to stay at 90 degrees to the pedal. They are not captive clips and are actually designed to hold your foot on the pedal on the upstroke which aids pedalling on climbs. Final resort would be cleated pedals and cycling shoes but I don't particularly want to go there.

What was the purpose of the cleats in the instep? Cleats are normally on the ball of the foot to hold it in the correct place for maximum efficiency. Toe clips as well, one or the other surely or have I missed something?

Going out for a short ride just to check the new indexing setup, not swapped my pedals out yet.

Later: Went out for a quick circular down Geenberfield and the canal bank. Gears seem to be shifting OK, certainly a lot better than they were.

Oh, have moved the last few posts into this new thread as they are not route related.

They engaged with the back serrated bar on the pedal and locked your foot into place. Quick release straps on the clips, one pull and the foot was free. Standard issue on cycling shoes then. Thinking back they could have been on the front side of the instep because they clicked on the floor when you walked normally.

Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!